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The 2026 Full-Chain Green Drive – Textile Chemicals Sustainable Transformation White Paper, jointly released in May 2026 by Transfar Chemicals, China Textile Information Center, the State Key Laboratory of Textile New Materials, and the Textile Chemicals Branch of the China Dyeing and Printing Association, can be summarized as follows:
📘 Basic Information
- Issuing Bodies: Transfar Chemicals, China Textile Information Center, State Key Laboratory of Textile New Materials, Textile Chemicals Branch of China Dyeing and Printing Association
- Background: The EU CBAM carbon tariff, tightening REACH regulations, expanding PFAS/bisphenol restrictions, China's "dual carbon" goals, and growing consumer demand for health and safety are driving the textile chemical industry to shift from "compliance cost" to "green value creation."
🌿 Core Framework – "Five Green Dimensions" Transformation Path
🎯 Key Directions Related to Eco-Friendly Dyes & Pigments
- Greening of Dyes and Auxiliaries: Explicitly recommends low-salt/low-temperature/short-process dyeing auxiliary systems, promoting heavy-metal-free mordants and aromatic-amine-free leuco systems for reactive and disperse dyes.
- Restricted Substances List: Systematically compiles restricted/forbidden dye intermediates (azo dyes, metal-complex dyes, etc.) under EU REACH SVHC, OEKO-TEX, and brand RSLs, requiring product-level hazardous substance documentation.
- Quantitative Indicator System: For the first time, "greening" shifts from qualitative to quantitative — companies must provide four core data points: bio-based content, product carbon footprint (LCA), water and energy consumption indicators, and compliance declarations for restricted substances.
- Bio-Based Dyes Outlook: Although the current focus is on bio-based auxiliaries, the white paper identifies bio-based dyes as the next key R&D direction, encouraging pilot-scale validation of natural/microbial synthetic dyes.
⚠️ Industry Challenges Identified
- Bio-based raw material sources are scattered; batch consistency needs improvement
- Recycling and regeneration technologies are not yet economically viable; high initial investment required
- No unified national standards for carbon footprint/bio-based content testing
- Profit distribution and coordination mechanisms across the value chain still need refinement
